Christmas Trivia
Did you know.....

The first recorded mention of a decorated Christmas tree dates back to 1605.  Fir trees were set up and hung with paper roses of different colors, with apples, flat wafers, gilded candles and sugar.  One of the loveliest Christmas tree tales is that of Martin Luther and the fir tree:  While walking through a forest one Christmas eve, Martin Luther beheld a tree illuminated by the stars.  The beauty of the tree and stars inspired him to take home a small fir tree, to which he attached lighted candles.  He felt this to be a recreation of the wonder of the night sky over the city of Bethlehem so long ago.  In 1856, President Franklin Pierce put up the first decorated Christmas tree in the White House.  Calvin Coolidge was responsible for the first outdoor tree at the White House.  The lighting of this tree became a yearly tradition which we enjoy watching.

In ancient times, evergreen was the symbol of life during the cold, bleak winter months.  People would adorn their homes with evergreen to bring the world of nature indoors.  The use of evergreen in the celebration of the winter solstice was so popular that early Christian priests adopted its use in the celebration of Christmas.  Today, we still use evergreen in our homes for Christmas decorations.  We drape garlands of greenery on our porch rails, wrap it around lamp posts, place it on window sills, make a wreath to greet people at our front door, drape it on the mantle, around doors, and place it in baskets.

Just why, where and how the tradition of the Christmas stocking developed is uncertain.  Throughout most of Western Europe, it is customary for little ones to put out their shoes on St. Nicholas Day (December6), to be filled during the night with goodies and small gifts.  One account of the origin of the Christmas stocking is a story about St. Nicholas.  A nobleman had lost his money in an unsuccessful business venture and thus could provide no dowries for his three unmarried daughters.  St Nicholas heard of the plight of the dowerless young women and decided to help them.  In the dark of the night, he went to their house and threw a bag of gold into the eldest daughter's room.  Legend has it that the bag of gold fell into a stocking hung near the fire to dry--and so began the custom of hanging a stocking in hopes of receiving presents.

The bright red and green of the poinsettia have made it a cherished part of Christmas celebrations.  This native of the American continent was discovered in Mexico in 1828 by Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett.  The Mexicans refer to the colorful plant as the "Flor de la Noche Buena," the Holy Night Flower.  One legend about the poinsettia tells of a Christmas Eve long ago when the villagers of a Mexican town were laying gifts to the Holy Family before a crèche.  A poor young boy, having nothing to offer, could only kneel in prayer outside the church.  In the spot were he knelt, a beautiful plant with scarlet leaves sprang up, and the boy gave this as his gift to the Christ Child.

Candles have been used for centuries in winter celebrations.  During the Saturnalia, the festival of the winter solstice, the Romans fastened candles to trees as a symbol of the sun's return to the earth.  Hanukkah, the Jewish "Festival of Lights" commemorating the rededication of the Temple by Judas Maccabeus in 165 B. C., is celebrated by lighting one candle on the first night and adding a lit candle each night for eight nights.  Early Christians adopted candles for their Christmas feast as symbols of Christ, "The Light of the World."  Durandas, a writer of that period, wrote that the wax represented Christ's body, the wick, his soul, and the flame, his divine nature.  In many cultures, tradition has been to place a candle in each window to guide the Christ Child, or weary travelers, to warmth, light and shelter.

The Christmas carol, unlike church hymns, was developed as a popular art form, a song about the Nativity, that usually was sung in the language of the surrounding countryside instead of Latin.  In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Reformation so strongly discourage such "frivolity" that caroling almost disappeared.  In 1822, Davies Gilbert published the "Collection of Christmas Carols",  which was a popular success, following on the heels of the general public's renewed interest in Christmas traditions.  The earliest carols are true folk poetry, simple and joyous.  The subjects range from the sacred to the absurd, and there are carols that contain an odd mixture of both.  Some carols celebrate the mystic, mythical aspects of Christmas; others are lively tunes that touch the hearts of "just plain folk".  This variety is the key to the longevity and popularity of the Christmas carol.